Through a Blast of Light
by Inuki Moon
Summary: This is the sequel to In the Crystal Light. Story Five in the series. This is more action than in the prequel though, where Crystal actually uses what she learns. ALso, I'm putting something in here that I didn't learn from Tolkien, so I can't say that
1. Please Help

Through a Blast of Light  
  
Chapter one: Please Help  
  
Disclaimer: I'm so special... I own all the characters! Squee!  
  
Crystal walked to the wardrobe and pulled out a long, beautiful silver and blue robe. Putting it on, she walked to the closet that held her regular clothes and selected an outfit for the day. She put on the long, snug breeches, the sleeveless black shirt, and a mud-softened pair of boots. Brushing her long blonde hair back from her face, she pulled it back and checked her image in the mirror. Once satisfied, she left her room and walked down two halls before reaching Alaeo's room. She loved Alaeo very deeply, as he loved her.  
  
Knocking once, then opening the door, Crystal walked in to find Alaeo still in bed. Thankfully, this time he was alone. Once, that was not the case, but that time was over.  
  
Alaeo grinned at her.  
  
"Five more minutes!" He pleaded jokingly.  
  
"No. You have to go to school." Crystal said this sternly, but her straight face only lasted two seconds after that. Alaeo cracked up as well.  
  
Once they finally stopped laughing, Alaeo swung out of his bed much like Crystal had, and Crystal saw he was actually fully dressed already in a grey tunic, pants, and boots.  
  
Together, Crystal and Alaeo walked to the weapons room. Crystal located her many items, including swords, daggers, a beautiful bow, and arrows, all from her mother, and a rather peculiar item Crystal had yet to use. It was a delicate silver chain, upon which a dark blue crystal hung from. Silver was twisted throughout the whole thing.  
  
Crystal had just recently found out that she had special...powers. She could do several things most elves couldn't do.  
  
And there was the fact she would probably be the most powerful elf in the past two thousand years.  
  
The two left the weapons room, and went to Crystal's own custom gym. Once they got in, they immediately saw Ralinde, Crystal's other trainer. Her long blonde hair was twisted into a braid like Crystal's, and she was dressed similarly.  
  
They walked towards Ralinde, greeted her, and Crystal had just started to ask what they would be doing when a servant hurried in.  
  
"Crystal, miss?" The servant said hesistantly.  
  
"Yes. What is it?" Crystal said impatiently. She was ready to go today.  
  
"There are some... gothwin outside the gym.... They insist on seeing you!" The maid finished  
  
Crystal frowned. Gothwin, or female warriors, were very rare around here. Unlike the other elves, they lived in societies far up in mountains. They were excellent fighters, and they rarely came down to see other elves. They were also known for being almost impossible to find, even for fellow elves.  
  
Walking outside the gym doors on the other end of the gym, rather than the ones Crystal and Alaeo came through, Crystal saw them. Five women, all dark haired and dark eyed, dressed in the same clothes: leather sleeveless tops, leather shorts, soft boots, and bands of leather around their upper arms. They also had body paint around their eyes and below the bands on their arms.  
  
Holding short spears, round shields, and knives, they were extremely threatening. Crystal could immediately see why so many people were so afraid of them.  
  
Crystal had no clue why they would come to see her, and she puzzled over it when one of the gothwin finally spoke up.  
  
"Hello, Crystal of Mirkwood. I am Halia, of the Misty Mountains." She spoke clearly, but with a slight accent. "We have come to see you because we know that you have great powers." The others nodded. Crystal could suddenly see now that they were afraid, slightly, of her. Of her!  
  
"Yes, I do, I guess. But why would that concern you?" Crystal asked, her voice now curious.  
  
"We are fighting up home." Another spoke now. She introduced herself as Lindelle, of the Lonely Mountain. "Of course, we did great at first, but they sent more sankossi." She spat out the Quenyan word for orcs as though it burnt her tounge.  
  
Yet another talked now. As she said two minutes later, Gilraen, also from the Lonely Mountain. She told Crystal how they needed help, and one as powerful as Crystal could save them all.  
  
Crystal listened to the various speakers as they talked about how they needed her help, and they needed it as soon as she could come.  
  
One, more hesistant that the others, spoke quietly. "You will come, won't you?" The others grew very still.  
  
Crystal considered. She didn't want to. She wasn't fully trained. She didn't want to risk it.  
  
Ralinde, who had just come through the doors, spoke in Crystal's ear.  
  
"Your mother would have wanted it." Crystal started, then nodded.  
  
"I'll come."  
  
A/N: Yay! My little people are back! Yippee! 


	2. Riding With the Gothwin

Chapter Three- Riding with the Gothwin  
  
Disclaimer: I own none of these characters. They are from the great mind of Tolkien, and I-wait! I DO own them! Go me!  
  
Crystal checked Fortanya over one last time. She didn't need the saddle, but they would need many supplies which the horses needed to carry so she volunteered to take one. She slid her fingers under the girth, then checked the saddlebags slung over the pommel of the saddle.  
  
Satisfied, she checked what was inside the bags again. There was water, food, and the sword. She had not wanted to take it, because she didn't want to be responsible should it break, but the others elves coming- the gothwin, Ralinde, Alaeo, and a few household servants- had insisted she did.  
  
She heard someone clearing their throat and looked up to see Alaeo, holding his chestnut gelding Sparks close to him. He had also decided to take a saddle.  
  
"Hey Crystal... the gothwin want to speak to you. I'm not sure who." He said.  
  
Crystal nodded. Turning his head, Alaeo called for the warriors to come then led his gelding away.  
  
She saw it was Gilraen and Lalaith, another elf from the Lonely mountain. They held their spears and shields, their makeup applied to their eyes and arms.  
  
Looking at them more closely then she had, she realized they were quite lovely. Gilraen had long, black hair pulled into a ponytail, while Lalaith had dark reddish brown hair she let hang down her back. She also had blue eyes, but Gilraen had brown ones.  
  
"Hello, Crystal. We've come to see if there is anything you need." Lalaith spoke in her odd accent, pleasant to listen to but strange to the ears.  
  
"I'm fine. What about you two? Where are your horses?" Crystal asked.  
  
The two laughed- Crystal could see immediately why Lalaith had been named as she did, Lalaith meaning laughter. Her laugh was high, tinkling, like windchimes in a breeze. Gilraen's was lower, but it floated like a musical melody.  
  
"We don't ride horses! I prefer my feet over the hooves of a horse any day." Gilraen said. "My sister does too."  
  
Crystal started again. "Lalaith's your sister? You don't look anything alike!" She exclaimed.  
  
Lalaith looked at Crystal curiously. "She and I are not related by blood, if that's what you mean. We decided to become second sisters."  
  
Crystal frowned. "How can you be second sisters? I thought you had to be born into the same relations."  
  
Lalaith considered, then shook her head. "If two gothwin want to become second sisters, they go to the Circle of Elders and go through a ceremony. It is very long, and complicated, because its an ancient ritual." She finished.  
  
"Now," Gilraen continued, "it is almost impossible to get us apart. We've never tried, because we have no wish to. I don't even think it IS possible."  
  
Crystal considered that for a moment, then nodded. She gave Fortanya a pat, then led him out of the stall. She mounted up, and walked the horse along side the two gothwin. They met up with the others, and Crystal was amused to see that all the gothwin walked.  
  
Alaeo tried to make his horse Sparks alongside the jogging gothwin, who of course noticed. They started laughing, and told Alaeo the same thing- they could beat their horses over any distance. They started running faster, to prove it.  
  
While Crystal was riding, she was introduced to all the gothwin again. There was Gilraen, Lalaith, and Lindelle, all of the Lonely Mountain, then Halia, Elena, and Indo of the Misty Mountains. There were a few who didn't have a particular place they were from- basically, they traveled everywhere, to be the elvish equivilent of gypsies. Of those, there was Gilgalad, Lira, and Tinil-Galia. Those from the same place looked similar to others who had come with them. Gilraen, Lalaith, and Lindelle all had the same basic facial structure, long straight hair, and were tall. Halia, Elena, and Indo were shorter, with long wavy hair and weren't quite so long-legged. Gilgalad, Lira, and Tinil-Galia were quite thin, but rather short. They had shorter hair than the others, but it was also rather curly. All were very lovely, but in a threatening way. The way they handled their daggers, shields, spears, and sickles suggested to Crystal they had been using them for a while.  
  
Strangely enough, however, Crystal noticed that while they were perfectly friendly to Crystal, they also appeared to be rather timid towards her....as if she might unleash something painful on them at any moment.  
  
Crystal sighed. She didn't know if she would ever feel quite as she had again, when everyone was expecting her to be something different.  
  
A/N: Well, friends, there we go. It'll get better in the next chapters, believe me. 


	3. Powers

Chapter Four: Powers  
  
Disclaimer: I'm running out of snappy disclaimers....oh, poo.  
  
Crystal and the others rode in comfortable companionship for several days. Until one day....  
  
"Everyone down!" Ralinde commanded. Her face was pulled into a mask of anger and fear.  
  
Crystal jumped silently from Fortanya's back. Alaeo did the same. Though she had half-obeyed Ralinde's command, she refused to duck down and leave it to only a few. She grabbed her bow from where it was fastened behind the pommel of her horse's saddle, and nocked an arrow. She drew it back, ready to let it fly if need be.  
  
The gothwin as well were defying Ralinde. They had their weapons out, shields held up in front of their chests, and were also prepared.  
  
Twenty yards ahead, orcs snarled and growled menacingly at the elves. They brandished horrible-looking sickles, scythes, maces, and chains. Suddenly, all elves and orcs fell silent.  
  
Then everyone charged at each other.  
  
Crystal loosed her arrow, which flew with deadly accuracy to strike an orc in the forehead and make him fall to the ground, where he was quickly trampled by his fellow yrch. Seizing another arrow, she let go the bowstring over and over until they came close enough to strike down with her sword. Dropping the bow when Fortanya was not to be found, she grabbed Nardurlos from its scabbard and began to strike.  
  
Next to her, Alaeo slashed down orc after orc with his blade. Many went down under his sword, and those that didn't were struck again and again until they lay still.  
  
When most all orcs had been killed, Crystal turned to see her companions, and look for more orcs, when she finally saw the gothwin fight.  
  
The nine women stood in a circle, facing out, spears held at the ready. But they didn't throw them. Instead, the circle began to move, staying in the same place, but slowly rotating. As they did this, the gothwin tapped their spears against the shields to a fast beat.  
  
"Come on, yrch. What are you scared of?" Gilraen taunted. She began the spectacular slaughter that began the next moment. She threw her spear with even more accuracy than Crystal had shot with, and the leading orc went down.  
  
When this happened, the others also threw their spears. When each spear hit an orc and they snatched the daggers from their sheaths.  
  
Lalaith stepped forward and slashed one across the face. Stabbing it in the gut, she stepped onto the next orc.  
  
Of all nine gothwin, Gilraen did the most damage. She threw each dagger with cold precision, before grabbing them back from the bodies and tossing them again. Halia did almost as much. She also caused huge losses by stabbing the orcs, giving each wound a vicious twist before pulling it out of the orc she'd killed.  
  
When at last all orcs lay dead, Crystal turned and looked to see who all had been down. All the orcs lay dead, but all the members of her company appeared to be there. She couldn't shake the feeling someone was lost though. So, she started counting to see if all fifteen members had survived. She counted only fourteen. Making sure all of the gothwin were there, she started, then realized that one was missing.  
  
Looking around on the grass and rock around them, she saw a body that was definitely not an orc laying spread-eagled, face down. Lalaith lay there, her hair across her face.  
  
Crystal and Gilraen rushed to her side. Lalaith's face was pale and drawn, and her eyes were glazed over. There was a gaping hole in her side, made by an orc arrow. If she wasn't healed soon, she wouldn't stand a chance.  
  
Gilraen started crying. She made no sounds, but tears ran down her beautiful face.  
  
She turned to Crystal. "Can't you help her? You are so powerful! Please, please help her!" She pleaded.  
  
Ralinde joined them then. She nodded to Crystal.  
  
Crystal wavered. She had never healed anything bigger than small cuts Ralinde had made on her own arm. Something like this.... What if she messed up?  
  
Ralinde spoke quietly, as if she had heard Crystal's thoughts.  
  
"She wouldn't make it if you didn't attempt. Everyone knows that." She spoke into Crystal's ear.  
  
Crystal nodded. She took a deep breath, and put her hands to Lalaith's side. She closed her eyes, and willed the ability to come to her.  
  
She felt as if she was searching for something. She seemed to see a ray of light in her blindness, and grasped at it. When she felt as though she had caught it, she willed it to go to the hole she could see in her mind's eye. Pictured it closing up without a mark.  
  
When she opened her eyes, she saw just that. The color rushed back into the world, and Crystal looked at everything in wonder. It looked like everything had clarified into a crystal-clear solidness, and was beautiful.  
  
Looking at Lalaith, she smiled. Lalaith's face had color again, her eyes were cleared, and she moved into a sitting position.  
  
Gilraen gave a delighted cry, and embraced Lalaith. When the two were done hugging, they did the same to Crystal, all the while crying out in an ecstatic voice, thanking her, praising her. Crystal nodded and got up, brushing her breeches off. She walked to Fortanya and mounted again, patting his neck. She started riding, while the others simply let her go ahead. She had done this once, and all she would do would be to ride to a spot and think for a while. They could find her, easy.  
  
She jumped from Fortanya's back and landed next to a tree. Running up the trunk, she sat gently on a branch. She felt a small pain in her side and realized she was sitting on the crystal sword. She looked at it, turning it over and over. She looked and traced the few carvings on it- the rose near the hilt, the marks on the hilt itself, and the tiny hole in the tip. She thought it might be for decoration, but if so, then why did it feel so old? So strong?  
  
She sighed. She wanted to know more about the sword, and she was not having an easy time doing it.  
  
A/N: Well, that's the end of this chapter. As always, read and review!  
  
~RR 


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